Different types ok swings for an infant or child have been contemplated in the past. A swing typically comprises a support frame, a seat and at least one hanger attached to the seat, the seat and the hanger defining a swing carriage, and a swing drive mechanism operatively connected to the hanger for maintaining the pendular movement of the swing carriage. If the swing carriage swings with no mechanical friction and no wind resistance, only a single push would be needed to maintain the swing in a perpetual pendulum motion. In such a case, the swing will maintain its amplitude indefinitely and a swing drive mechanism would not be necessary. However, such is not the case in reality, as wind resistance and bearing friction are always present. The mechanical or bearing friction can be reduced such that it becomes negligible. However, the wind resistance cannot be eliminated. The bigger the child, the more wind resistance will there be. It is the wind resistance that mainly dampens the swing amplitude, requiring use of a swing drive mechanism to supply energy lost and maintain its pendular movement.
Typically, the swing drive mechanism is either electrically powered or manually powered. The electrically powered drive mechanism generally uses a DC or AC motor or solenoid, as described for instance in U.S. Pat. No. 4,452,446 issued to Saint; U.S. Pat. No. 4,491,317 issued to Bansal; U.S. Pat. No. 4,722,521 to Hyde et al. The manually powered drive mechanism typically uses a spring wind-up mechanism which can be manually rotated using a crank to store energy within the spring, as described for instance in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,128,076 and 3,166,287 issued to Pasqua; and U.S. Pat. No. 3,459,423 issued to Meade.